David Raymont

From the moment William Weller cracks his whip over the head of the two bay horses pulling a sled from Toronto, 38 Hours to Montreal takes readers on a whirl-wind tour of 1840s Canada.Dan Buchanan’s well-researched book takes readers along the bumpy roads of Upper Canada from Toronto through Kingston and Cornwall to end in Montreal as, William Weller, an ambitious stage operator pushes himself to the limit to win a bet to bring the Governor General to Lower Canada in less than two days.Not only does 38 Hours to Montreal describe in fascinating detail the workings of an 1800s stage coach line, and the byways and pathways it ran on, it also provides a colourful insight into the different communities the coach passes, the inns, homes and business, and the people who live and work there.Along with a vivid portrait of a governor general, Charles Poulett Thomson, there are profiles of his aide Captain Thomas Le Marchant, William Weller, and other businesspeople such as Belleville’s colourful Billa Flint; to the eager teenage assistant, Jimmy Hayward, at Montreal’s Exchange Coffee House.In his preface, Buchanan writes that part of his goal in telling this story is to broaden history’s spotlight to include those people “in the second tier of individuals who toiled in the trenches of society.”And he succeeds, although the sources of the time frequently ignore the contribution of women.For the political historian, 38 Hours provides insight into political change - the implementation of the Durham Report, the creation of a Province of Canada and the evolution towards a local government accountable to the members of an elected legislature rather than Britain’s Colonial Office.As a book about a journey, 38 Hours also provides the inspiration for a road trip along the north shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, with many ideas for places of interest to visit from Toronto’s oldest house, Scadding Cabin; the Barnum House in Grafton, the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault, the Bethune Thompson House in Williamstown and Montreal’s Lachine canal.Canada’s story is much about the conquest of distance to bring people together.38 Hours is the story of how one carriage ride was a step in the process towards transforming distant colonies into a united confederation and the people who were to experience that change.David Raymont, Past President, York Pioneer & Historical Society